How to Get Better at Australian Rules Football?

It’s possible to kick beautifully at training and still feel rushed when an opponent closes in on match day. Getting better at Australian Rules football means building skills that hold up under pressure—not just polishing them in an empty oval. The best progress comes from combining ball work, fitness, decision-making and honest review of your role in the team.

Build reliable skills before chasing highlights

Start with the actions you use most often: picking up a ground ball, handballing to a teammate, kicking to a target and marking. Aim for repeatable technique rather than maximum distance or spectacular plays. A clean, simple disposal that helps your team keep possession is usually more valuable than a hopeful kick into a contest.

Kicking

For a drop punt, hold the ball over your kicking leg, guide it down with the opposite hand and make contact with the lower half of the ball using your instep. Keep your eyes on the ball through contact and point your guiding hand or shoulders towards the target. Your non-kicking foot should land close to the ball, generally facing where you want it to go.

Begin with short kicks to a stationary teammate, then add distance and movement. Practise leading kicks as well as kicks to a player’s chest: the right option depends on their position, the defender and the space available. Track accuracy at different distances. If your kicks regularly tail off to one side, slow down and check your ball drop and body alignment before trying to kick harder.

Handballing and ground balls

For a handball, hold the ball steady in one hand and strike it with a closed fist from the other. Work on both hands and practise hitting a teammate’s hands, not just getting the ball vaguely in their direction. A handball is most useful when it moves the ball away from pressure or lets a teammate play on without breaking stride.

To gather a ground ball, lower your hips, bend at the knees and get your hands down early. Practise approaching from different angles and picking up the ball while moving. In a match, a gather is rarely perfectly straight-on, and a player who can collect cleanly while protecting the ball has more time to dispose of it.

Marking and contest work

To mark, judge the flight early, move into a strong position and present your hands at the ball. Practise in front, overhead and while moving across your body. In a contested situation, focus on timing and balance rather than jumping into an opponent or turning your back on the ball. Work with a partner who varies the kick; predictable feeds teach less than balls that make you adjust.

Practise under match-like pressure

Skills can look very different when you’re tired, being chased or deciding between several options. Once you can perform a drill cleanly at low speed, make it more realistic. Add a closing defender, a time limit, a moving target or a requirement to dispose of the ball after a pickup. Small-sided games are especially useful because they create repeated contests and choices in a compact space.

Make sure pressure drills still reward good decisions. If every exercise is about kicking as far as possible, players can learn to ignore safer options. A useful drill might give a ball carrier two choices: handball to a teammate running past, or kick to a leading target. The coach can then ask why one choice suited the situation better.

Improve your game sense and team play

Before you receive the ball, have a quick look around. Knowing where the nearest opponent and your teammates are can save the moment you would otherwise spend panicking after the mark or pickup. When you have possession, take a sensible option: sometimes that means moving the ball quickly, and sometimes it means slowing down so teammates can get into position.

Learn the responsibilities of your position, but don’t treat them as fixed rules. A defender needs to read the ball’s flight, communicate and make sound decisions about when to spoil or mark. A midfielder must be ready to win the ball, support a teammate and then work back defensively. A forward needs to lead into useful space, compete when the ball comes in and apply pressure if the opposition wins possession.

Watch a quarter of a game with a specific question in mind. For example: where does a midfielder move after handballing, or how does a forward create separation from a defender? Following one role is often more instructive than trying to watch every player and every contest at once. Then look for one idea you can practise at your next session.

Train fitness for the demands of the game

Australian Rules football calls for repeated efforts: running, sprinting, changing direction, contesting and recovering enough to do it again. Build a base with regular aerobic running or team training, then add short bursts and changes of direction that resemble your match demands. Include strength work suited to your experience, such as bodyweight squats, lunges, calf raises and core exercises. Good technique matters more than lifting heavy loads, particularly if you are new to strength training.

Do not try to make every session flat-out. Hard training needs easier work and rest around it so your body can adapt. Warm up with light movement, dynamic mobility and ball skills that gradually increase in speed. If pain is sharp, getting worse or affecting how you run, tell your coach and seek appropriate medical advice rather than trying to train through it.

Use feedback and set a simple plan

Choose one or two goals for a block of training—for instance, improving your non-preferred handball or making more clean pickups at speed. Keep a brief record of sessions and note what improved and what still breaks down under pressure. Ask a coach for specific feedback: “What should I change about my approach to the contest?” is more useful than “Was that good?”

If you can watch your own match footage, look beyond the disposal count. Notice whether you got into position early, supported teammates, communicated and recovered after an error. A mistake can be useful if you identify its cause. Was the kick inaccurate, or did you choose a target that was already covered? Those are different problems and need different practice.

A practical weekly routine could include team training, one short individual ball-skills session and one strength or conditioning session, adjusted to your competition and recovery needs. Keep individual practice focused: a small number of purposeful kicks and pickups is better than a long session where your technique deteriorates.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can I improve my kicking accuracy?

Practise at a distance where you can use sound technique, aim at a clear target and keep track of your results. Gradually increase the distance, then add movement and a defender. If accuracy drops, return to shorter kicks and check your ball drop and alignment.

What should I practise if I’m new to Australian Rules football?

Start with catching and marking, ground-ball pickups, handballing with both hands, and short drop punts. Join a club or supervised session if you can; a coach can help you learn skills and rules safely while you build confidence.

How do I get better at making decisions under pressure?

Use drills and small-sided games that require you to scan, choose and dispose of the ball quickly. Before receiving, look for teammates and opponents. After each drill, consider whether your choice helped the team, not just whether the ball reached someone.

How often should I train?

It depends on your age, experience, match schedule and recovery. Follow your coach’s plan, allow time to recover after hard sessions and increase training gradually. If you’re returning from injury or have persistent pain, get advice from a qualified health professional.

Final Thoughts

To improve at Australian Rules football, make your basic skills dependable, practise them in realistic situations and learn to read play before the ball reaches you. Add fitness gradually, ask for useful feedback and focus on one or two improvements at a time. The payoff is not only cleaner kicks or marks—it’s being a teammate others can trust when the game gets tight.